The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have opened as middling favourites over the B.C. Lions in the upcoming West Final.
The club was on a bye this past week after finishing first in the West Division standings for the third consecutive year. Winnipeg’s roster is relatively healthy as a number of key veterans sat out of the team’s final regular season game of the year, which culminated in a 36-13 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
Dalton Schoen, who finished the year with 72 catches for 1,233 yards and 10 touchdowns, is the club’s only big-name player currently out due to injury. The 27-year-old missed the club’s last two regular season games with an ankle issue and has been spotted in a walking boot. It remains unclear if he will be able to play this week as the Blue Bombers won’t hit the practice field until Tuesday, Nov. 7.
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The Lions clinched a berth in the West Final after defeating the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final by a score of 41-30. Vernon Adams Jr. had one of the best performances of his career as he completed 28-of-39 pass attempts for 413 yards and two touchdowns along with seven carries for 54 yards and three touchdowns.
B.C. and Winnipeg met in last year’s West Final in front of 30,319 fans at IG Field as the Blue Bombers won 28-20 to advance to a third straight Grey Cup. Brady Oliveira ran for 130 yards on offence, while Janarion Grant returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. The forecast for this year’s game is mainly sunny with a high of zero degrees and winds gusting to 35 kilometres per hour.
The Blue Bombers won the regular season series between the two teams by a margin of 2-1, including a 34-26 overtime victory at BC Place Stadium on Oct. 6. Winnipeg has never appeared in four consecutive Grey Cups, while the Lions haven’t qualified for a Grey Cup appearance since 2011.
Click here for updated Grey Cup odds.
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